Could you really grow enough to survive with a family?

[me&thegals]

Yikes! That really puts it in perspective, beekissed! I'll quite moaning and groaning and get my butt back into my 85-degree kitchen

 

[pioneergirl]

My grandmother had a huge basement, and when it was coming time to put up veggies and fruit, grandpa would get to work prepping. See, the basement had a stove, long tables, beds, and a washer/dryer. All the sisters would come over (I belive there were 8 in all) and bring what they wanted to can. Then they would spend a week down there, everyone helping to clean,cut, can, etc. They would literally live in the basement until it was all done. Then they would split it up amongst them and be done til the following year!!

 

[enjoy the ride]

Pioneergirl- that brought tears to my eyes- that is what a family should be- it makes the hard work much more fun and gives a great chance to catch up. Also makes people realize each time they do something like that of how much they can count on each other.

 

[Beekissed]

My grandmother had a huge basement, and when it was coming time to put up veggies and fruit, grandpa would get to work prepping. See, the basement had a stove, long tables, beds, and a washer/dryer. All the sisters would come over (I belive there were 8 in all) and bring what they wanted to can. Then they would spend a week down there, everyone helping to clean,cut, can, etc. They would literally live in the basement until it was all done. Then they would split it up amongst them and be done til the following year!!

See, I'm trying to get our church to grow a mission garden and do the same thing! Just think of the amazing fellowship that would come with putting all that food in a jar, or freezer, for folks who need it. We have tons of space out back of the church, most of the congregation are retired folks and I told them I would do all the planting and tending if they provided the right materials.

We could use the big fellowship hall and kitchen for this and it could be a fun thing with all those women's hands to help.

They feel like it would be too much work! Work, I feel, is all in how you look at it.

Pioneer Girl, I bet all those women loved getting together to talk, while they did a chore that is usually very lonely and intensive when done at home. I love that idea! Oh, how I miss the days when family were close and good friends could still be found!

 

[pioneergirl]

Glad my little reflection could make you all smile. I agree on all points by everyone...if you could somehow get the community involved, you could probably have a really nice food pantry for shut ins, homeless, or just those in need, who are struggling financially. I know canning has helped my grocery bill tremendously.

Its funny, grandma would look back at those times and smile and recount fun stories...grandpa would reflect and laugh saying "that was a whole week when I had to cook for myself!!"

 

[hollybird]

i have 1 acre. i would need 5 acres for my family of 4. this would also provide milk and meat.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

We have seven acres, and I would love to be able to plant an entire acre in vegetables! It would be a bit difficult, though, with the lay of our land.

We plant as much as we can each spring. My husband does most of it, as he is the green thumb. We try to grow enough to feed our family. Unfortunately I do not know how to can anything, but I have picked up several how to books and am planning/trying to get the supplies I need.

 

[unclejoe]

We have 12 acres but most of it is horse pasture. I put in a 4400sqf garden this year, my largest ever. There are things I did wrong and things I did right. We would still need to buy flour, sugar, salt, and dairy products. We could barter with a couple locals for flour and dairy. This year we could probably just squeak by, but next year I'll know how much of each crop I need to plant to feed us (4)
through to the next season.

Beekissed, I know what you mean about the hundreds of jars. My grandmother spent weeks canning. There was an entire wall in the cellar with racks of stuff from the garden. Makes my little stash (about 70 qts) look rather pathetic. I hope to at least double that next year.

 

[Cassandra]

I had to laugh a little when I was reading on all the forums about all the produce people had canned. Then came in all the pics of the shining little jars all lined up. Maybe a few pints of this and a few quarts of that and folks were so excited about all the vegetables they had gleaned from their gardens!

When I was growing up, it was nothing to put in 100-200 qts of tomatoes, 100-200 qts of corn, as well as a whiskey barrel of pickled corn, 100 qt. of green beans, 100 qts. of apple sauce, 25-50 qts. of assorted veggies such as pickles, peppers, green tomatoes, jelly, and honey. Our bin of potatoes would be approx. 3 ft. X 3 ft. X 5 ft. and filled to overflowing. Not to mention around 50-75 qts. of deer meat.

All of this was done without running water and on a wood cook stove.....in August...in a tiny kitchen with no electricity.

My mother, even now, usually puts in around 100 qts. of tomatoes. She and Dad are vegetarians, so they still live very much out of their garden.

We worked our garden like it was the difference between life and death back then, so it can be done with the proper motivation and some hard work.

Beekissed, this is the second time I have read this post. I laughed this time because it reminded me of the old joke about the son who was complaining and the dad who told him to be happy because when HE (dad) was a boy, he had to WALK to school...

in the snow...
barefoot...
uphill...
BOTH WAYS!

LOL

My grandma used to put up lots and lots of food. Closets full. But my mom never did.


So far, I have not saved so much as a penny by growing and putting up my own food. If that is what the objective is, to save money on groceries, I am not there yet! With buying canners and jars and tools and plants and dirt, it's still costing me. I hope within a year or two to change that around.

Cassandra

 

[Beekissed]

Yeah, we were just discussing the same thing this morning! Unfortunately for my kids, I REALLY did have to walk a mile to catch the bus and it WAS uphill both ways.....we had to go down hill into a deep holler and up the other side and then again....and the same thing coming home...so..uphill both ways. And, yes, the snow was much deeper back then....they don't believe me but it was a normal winter to have very deep snows in WV back in the 70's and 80's. We haven't had a good deep snow here since then!

It is the bane of their existence to have to hear these stories...but true nontheless. You ought to hear them groan when they start complaining about "all the work they have to do around here" and I proceed to tell them a normal day in my life at their age....I did more before breakfast on most days than they normally do in a whole week! No sympathy can be wrung from a mom who lived like this when young....